SMITTEN

Shared adventures weave the fabric of romance for two lost items of clothing in this screen-ready odyssey “based,” as the title page notes, “on an original concept by Susan Siegel.” Meeting on a sidewalk, a pink mitten and a worn blue sock set out to find new partners—never suspecting that their search will involve unfortunate encounters with a smelly trash bin, a Laundromat dryer (“You should have told me you were wool”), rowdy dogs and a passing subway train. Endowing his castoffs with expressive eyes and mouths, Gordon depicts them in clear colors and poses them in clean-lined, accurately drawn urban settings. Having rescued each other from various predicaments, the two reach a clothing store at last, then realize that they make the perfect pair just as they are. Younger readers may need the title pun (which is also used as a punch line) explained, but should have no trouble following the main thread. (Picture book. 6-8)